Catch rats, make lakhs

The department of personnel and administrative reforms is offering small fortunes to contractors who can rid government buildings of rats... do you have it in you?

The department of personnel and administrative reforms is offering small fortunes to contractors who can rid government buildings of rats... do you have it in you?

The ungrateful people of Hamelin had famously refused to pay the Pied Piper after he rid the town of rats. The state government has in its wisdom however promised to pay as much as Rs 1 lakh per building to anyone who will rid government properties of the troublesome rodents.

This Thursday, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) will announce the official rat catcher who will be licensed to kill rats at the Vidhanasoudha and other government buildings.

Illustration/ Sameer pawar

The DPAR has invited tenders from private companies to catch rats who damage government records and chew up electric cables. The job had earlier been entrusted to the government-run Warehouse Corporation.

"The last date for submitting the tenders was May 20," explained K R Srinivasan, secretary, DPAR. "The Warehouse Corporation held the contract once.

This time, we expect private companies to participate in the bidding. We will know who the contenders are when we open the tenders. We need to do this to preserve documents from rats and cockroaches," said Srinivasan.

When this reporter asked why the government would not digitize documents instead of spending lakhs on killing rats, Srinivasan, said steps were already being taken in the direction.

"Digitisation of documents has already begun in the Revenue Department. Other departments will soon follow suite. Till then, we are saving available documents."

He laughed when this reporter asked him if he had a solution for humans who made important documents disappear (see box).

The responsibility of catching rats had earlier been entrusted to the government-run Warehouse Corporation.

A source in the city police commissioner's office said they were grappling with a rodent problem as well. "The commissioner should also give away contracts to someone willing to catch rats."

Man or rat?

In 2007, papers relating to nurse Jayalakshmi's complaint against MLA Renukacharaya, who is now the Excise Minister, of sexual harassment and criminal intimidation went missing from the State Women's Commission office.

Pramila Nesargi, the then chairperson of the commission, was evasive about how the papers disappeared from her office, and the case was soon forgotten.

Job Description

Whoever gets the contract for rat catching will be required to comb various government buildings, including Vidhanasoudha andu00a0 Vikasasoudha. A man would be deputed in each building.u00a0 He would always be on call. It would be the rat-killer's responsibility to see that the rat poison is placed every 10-metres and ensure it is not consumed by human beings.